


A Series of Unrelated Events: Next Generation

by Tsubasa Kurono (kurotsuba)



Series: A Snitch in Time: Harry Potter and a Series of Unrelated Events [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Anniversary, Auror Harry Potter, Butterbeer, Cameos, Celebrations, Challenge Response, Childbirth, Contest Entry, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Developing Friendships, Diagon Alley, Drama, Experimental Style, F/M, Family, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Firewhiskey, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Grimmauld Place, Harry Potter Next Generation, Hogsmeade, Hogwarts Express, Hogwarts First Year, Hogwarts Second Year, Hogwarts Third Year, Holyhead Harpies, Jealousy, Leaky Cauldron, Male-Female Friendship, Multi, One Big Happy Family, One Shot, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Owls, Party, Party Games, Partying, Platform 9 3/4, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Quidditch, Retrospective, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Friendship, Shopping, Shrieking Shack, Three Broomsticks, Three-Act Structure, Truth or Dare, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-03-03 13:02:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13341792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurotsuba/pseuds/Tsubasa%20Kurono
Summary: A collection of oneshots based on J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World, specifically the Next-Generation era. Most are written for FanFiction.Net forum competitions, contests, challenges, etc.IMPORTANT: I do not considerCursed Childcanon to J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World, and therefore all lore related to the stage play will not be included in this compilation.[IRREGULAR]Latest:"Jealousy" - Family fluff feat. Harry and James Sirius aka father-son moments





	1. Third Time's the Charm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First time makes the impression,  
> second time sets the motion going...  
> But the third time is the charm.

* * *

**ACT ONE**  
**First Year**

* * *

"School robes: check. Potion supplies: check. Now we're left with your schoolbooks at Flourish and Blotts, and then your wand at Ollivanders—"

"Mum, stop," said an exasperated Rose Weasley. "I'm not a baby anymore. I'm already eleven."

"But you're still a child— _my_ child," Hermione had no intention of letting the matter go, her shrill voice filled with worry. "Of course I'm anxious! There's no way I'd let you go to Hogwarts unprepared!"

Rose rolled her eyes at her mother. While she was happy that Hermione had taken a day off from her busy Ministry work to spend more time with the family, the unnecessary fussing was turning the supposedly joyful shopping trip sour for the young girl.

Even her father, Ron, seemed to agree with her. "Hermione, calm down," he sighed, shaking Rose's new cauldron before his wife's bulging eyes. "It's Rosie who's going to Hogwarts, _not_ you." Rose's little brother, Hugo, watched their parents with wide eyes, appearing to enjoy the rising drama between his older family members.

"But—"

Rose had enough of it. Throwing an annoyed look at her mother, she snatched the coin pouch off her father's belt and stormed away, leaving a furious Hermione and an amused Ron behind her.

She ducked into the nearest shop she could reach, where she was greeted by a chorus of hoots and screeches the moment she stepped into the darkness inside. Pairs of yellow eyes turned their attention to the surprised girl, who only pulled out of the shock when a strong, pungent smell hit her nose. As her eyes grew accustomed to the dim lighting, a realization struck her: she had ended up in Eeylops Owl Emporium. Among the mess of ruffled feathers stood a boy of her age, who was staring at her curiously.

The boy had short, neatly combed white-blond hair, wearing a black (or was it dark green? It was hard to tell in the ill-lit shop) robe that seemed to be a size too small for him, for the cuffs didn't cover his wrists and the hems didn't reach to his ankles. On his shoulder was a screech owl with a queer-shaped brow around its eyes, nibbling away at the boy's ear. It took every ounce of Rose's willpower not to laugh out loud at his comical, feather-covered appearance.

Something about this stranger felt familiar to the young redhead—she had a vague feeling of seeing him somewhere before—but she just couldn't recall where from the top of her head. Shrugging, she flashed an awkward smile at the boy. "Um… hi."

The boy seemed to freeze momentarily when she called out to him, still oblivious to the owl on his shoulder, which had now proceeded to poke the back of his sleek hair with its beak. His lips trembled in a silent struggle trying to find a word to say, only managing to blurt out a grunt that sounded like he was trying to choke himself with his own tongue.

Rose turned away, pretending to be interested in a minuscule owl flapping happily in its cage to hide the smirk on her face. "Are you a Hogwarts first-year like me? I'm Rose Weasley, by the way."

"S-Scorpius. Scorpius Malfoy," the boy stammered. "And… yeah, I guess we're both the same age."

Rose looked up to face the boy again. The sound of his name rang a bell in her head, but why? Her eyebrow arched with amusement at his flushed cheeks, which pushed the nagging thought to the back of her mind. Now that her head had cooled off from the irritation at her mother, maybe it was time for her to return and reconcile with Hermione. "Pleasure. I'll see you in school then."

"W-Wai—" Scorpius raised his voice trying to stop the pretty girl, but she had already turned on her heels and left the shop in a blur of scarlet.

* * *

**ACT TWO**  
**Second Year**

* * *

It was the first time Rose came to the platform this early, without breaking a single sweat from the usual mad rush and chaotic din over forgotten possessions. All thanks to Miyu Kisaragi and his family, whom the former was best friends with her older (not to mention, "Undesirable Number One") cousin, James Potter. The Kisaragi wasted no time dragging the Potters and Rose's family out of their rooms at Leaky Cauldron at five in the morning when it was still dark outside. Miyu's mother, Yuko Kisaragi, also went the extra mile to make sure all the kids had finished packing their trunks the day before, under her stern supervision.

_Trust the Japanese for their no-nonsense attitude towards punctuality._

She raised a hand to her mouth to hide an unladylike yawn. When the three families had reached King's Cross station, it was only a quarter to ten—which meant that they had slightly more than an hour to spare, to kill the free time around the platform before they board the gleaming red train for another year at Hogwarts.

Rose never had the opportunity to stroll down platform nine and three-quarters so casually like this, watching her schoolmates and their families chatting idly on the benches or leaning against the walls. Catching the train always felt like a race against time to her, so she really welcomed this change of pace. There was even a little shop at the end of the long platform, selling an assortment of goods ranging from the same snacks and sweets that they could buy from the trolley lady on the Hogwarts Express, to last-minute school supplies such as emergency inks and quills.

Exiting the said shop was her Slytherin schoolmate, Scorpius Malfoy. Still blond and pale as ever, with his beloved screech owl sitting on his shoulder. It reminded Rose of the first time she had met him at Diagon Alley the year before, except that this time his feathered friend was unusually quiet.

"Hey, Scorpion," she called out to the boy in a joking tone. "Fancy bumping into you here."

"Hello Rose," Scorpius greeted back in a soft voice, his ears went pink at the affectionate way the girl had uttered his nickname. "Ssh, Cassie is sleeping."

Rose still couldn't help feeling amused at the name Scorpius had picked for his pet owl. "But why 'Cassiopeia'?" she asked, walking up to him so that she could stroke the bird. "Is it because of the W-shaped brows around her eyes?"

Scorpius looked away; he always seemed uncomfortable whenever Rose tried to close the physical distance between them. "Something like that, yeah…"

"—I like the name, though," Rose went on, ignoring his almost inaudible mumble as she patted the owl's head. Cassiopeia made a soft click and puffed her feathers lazily, clearly enjoying the touch. "It's beautiful just like her."

Out of the corner of her eye, Rose caught a strange look flashing across Scorpius' face. "What are you smirking at?"

Scorpius went rigid, his nervous eyes looking everywhere but the frowning redhead before him. "N-Nothing," his voice sounded higher than normal, and he coughed to cover the embarrassing slip.

"Oh, really." Rose continued to stare at the blond boy for another minute, then she straightened up, shrugging. "Stop with that creepy smile. Otherwise people would think you're up to something."

That did wipe the grin off Scorpius' face. "Sorry— _ow!_ "

Cassiopeia was awake, and she nibbled hard on the boy's ear. Scorpius tilted his head to his owl as he was about to give her a piece of his mind, but it also made him notice two approaching figures—his parents.

His father, Draco, didn't seem pleased with his son talking to the red-haired girl. "Scorpius, come here," he drawled to the boy, glaring between the two children with his cold, gray eyes. "We don't have time to waste on the Weasleys. It's time to board the train."

Scorpius hung his head as he dragged himself to his father's side. Cassiopeia screeched at Draco, and Rose thought she saw the owl's oddly shaped brows furrowing with anger at the man.

Her own dad, Ron, was right. The Malfoy family was as shady as their reputation… or at least the parents seemed that way to her. She didn't find Scorpius as awful as his father; on the contrary, she felt that the boy need to grow some backbones of his own.

Enough to have more self-confidence.

She would come to regret making that wish the following year.

* * *

**ACT THREE**  
**Third Year**

* * *

The Three Broomsticks Inn was lively as usual. Though Christmas was still a month away, Madam Rosmerta wasted no time decking out the cosy interior with colorful lights and merry bells magicked to synchronize to the beat of the songs played in the store, and a real coniferous tree that was shrunk to fit indoors, decorated with sparkling fairies greeting every customer who entered the doors in a high-pitched, melodic chorus.

Even so, the joy didn't reach a table situated at the far end of the bar—where Rose was seated, with a crestfallen Scorpius across the third-year girl.

"Cheer up," she said, sighing over her almost-finished Butterbeer. "Cassie will be fine. Have more faith in her."

"I can't help it," Scorpius groaned, covering his face with his gloved hands. "She's been away for _weeks_ , and I really missed her."

Even if it sounded stupid in her mind, Rose couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy. To think that a mere pet was far more important to him than herself… _What kind of blasphemy is this?_

"Scorp, please." She was feeling tired at the waves of negativity emitting from the boy before her. "I'm sorry to say this, but Cassiopeia is worth twelve of you."

"That's… harsh."

The Gryffindor redhead rolled her eyes at him. Her initial excitement at Scorpius' invitation to spend their weekend together around Hogsmeade was ruined by his owl-sickness. What's more, today was a very special day to her.

Her birthday.

She drained whatever Butterbeer was left in her mug and slammed down the empty glass. "Whatever. I'm leaving."

"Rose!" If she wasn't feeling so annoyed, the ridiculous look on Scorpius' face would have been a hilarious sight to her. "Please don't leave me! I'm sorry!"

Ignoring Scorpius' pleas behind her, the furious redhead walked out of the bar. The colder air outside on the street did nothing to quell her frustration at the Slytherin boy. In all the heat of her anger, she was completely oblivious to the pointed stares and gossips around her.

"Rose!" Scorpius' voice sounded far away against the whistling wind. "Please, don't do this! It wasn't meant to happen this way!"

"Tell me about it!" the Gryffindor girl turned around and yelled back, the arms crossed before her as a silent message to the boy that she wasn't about to forgive him just yet. "You're worse than James when it comes to sensitivity. I'm really disappointed with you right now."

"Please forgive me," Scorpius panted, running up to Rose and grabbed her hand. "I beg you. Just wait for a bit longer."

"And why should I?"

Scorpius's face turned scarlet at the question. "Not here," he muttered, keeping his head down as he dragged a surprised Rose down Hogsmeade. "Let's go somewhere quieter."

Rose didn't object and allowed herself to be led away from the crowd towards the Shrieking Shack. "Well, what is it?" she finally asked once they were alone before the deserted building far from the packed street. "Why so mysterious?"

Scorpius only looked up at the sky. "Soon," he murmured. His anxiousness only made Rose even more curious… Then she realized she wasn't angry with him anymore.

A moment later, Rose heard a screech she knew so well—Cassie's call. Exhaling slowly, she gave her Slytherin friend a sideways glance. "See? I told you that she'd be fine. She's—"

 _Wait, what?_ The fiery-haired girl widened her eyes when the screech owl dropped a package into her open palms before landing gracefully on her shoulder. "What's going on?" She was bewildered at the blur of emotions on Scorpius's face: of relief, excitement, nervousness, embarrassment…

Cassiopeia nudged her beak against the side of Rose's head and hooted softly. The Gryffindor girl looked between the owl and her owner. "It's… for me?"

"O-Open it."

The package was small and squarish, wrapped in some kind of silver paper with a gold ribbon. Peeling off the wrapping revealed a maroon velvet box. Something about it made Rose narrowed her eyes at Scorpius.

"…Is this what I think it is?"

Scorpius merely replied with a knowing smile. "Just open it."

Rose opened the box… and her jaw dropped at what was inside.

"Scorp," she breathed, not believing her eyes. "What— Why—"

"Happy birthday," Scorpius beamed at her, the happiness seemed to brighten his usually pale face. "I hope you'll like it."

It was a gold coin with an owl-shaped imprint on the head side of its face. The owl seemed very familiar, with odd-colored eyes—the left was a red ruby, and the right a green emerald.

"Took a while to get this made," Scorpius explained sheepishly, scratching his cheek with a finger. "Had to keep this a secret from my dad and all."

"It's gorgeous," Rose gasped at the unexpected present. "But…" She glanced sideways at the owl again. "What's the meaning of this?"

"You know how you always talked about Cassie's weird eyebrow feathers?" said Scorpius, his eyes still trained on Rose. "And you always asked why I named her 'Cassiopeia'?"

Rose turned to stare at him, then back at the owl next to her face.

"Because she reminds me of _you_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts:  
> THC | [Y1R9] Themed: Pet - Owl | [Location] Diagon Alley, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, Hogsmeade  
> HPFC | The 100 Quotes of Life Challenge | [#5] "Please don't leave me", [#10] "It wasn't meant to happen this way", [#11] "Please forgive me", [#13] "Please, don't do this"


	2. Where the Legacy Ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To Harry,  
> James Sirius Potter is a gift from heaven.
> 
> The result of his strong love for his wife,  
> his family, friends...  
> and everyone who is precious to him.
> 
> The greatest love of all.

The cry of their first child—a son—made Harry Potter broke out a smile of relief. The Healers wouldn't let him into the delivery room to be with his wife, Ginny; they felt that his tense presence was more of a distraction than a help to the mother-to-be who was going through a somewhat difficult labor. Especially not with how he couldn't stop pacing before the room, rushing up to every Healer who came out or even went near the room's door.

It was so unlike him to be so anxious like this. He could deal with Death Eaters and dangerous magical crooks who were after his life without batting an eye, yet right now his heart was pounding madly in his chest as he waited for the news about Ginny and their firstborn.

He wondered if this was how his own father, James, had felt. He wondered if this was how a father-to-be would feel towards their first child.

It took almost five years for Harry and Ginny to finally settle down and ready to start a family. They had married the year after the end of the Battle of Hogwarts; they were still young, barely past nineteen, with a bright future before them now that Voldemort's anti-muggle reign was no more. Harry could go on and fulfill his dream to become an Auror, while Ginny chose to take the skies into a short but thrilling time playing Quidditch professionally for the Holyhead Harpies.

Harry's father-in-law, Arthur Weasley, hadn't been feeling well as years went by. Age was finally catching up to the old man, and he had been prodding the couple to give him a grandchild or two while he was still around to shower them with love, with everything he knew before leaving for a new journey in his afterlife. It wasn't pressuring per se; after all the lovelessness, the cruelty that he'd been through in his childhood days, Harry had sworn to himself that he didn't want his own children to go through the same pain as he did.

He would give them all the love he could offer. He would want his kids to receive all the love they could from everyone around them. To never let the history repeat itself again.

To prevent the creation of another Tom Marvolo Riddle: born without love, grew up without love, and died without understanding what love meant.

He could remember a few of the many quotes the late Albus Dumbledore, a man he had and would always admire, had told him:

> _"You think the dead we loved truly ever leave us? You think we don't recall them more clearly in times of great trouble?"_

The dead he loved had never left him; they were always in his heart. They were the guiding light to show him the way out of the darkness, and they were the memories he so deeply cherished, his sanctuary to keep him onto the right path in times of chaos and insanity.

> _"Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."_

Voldemort couldn't touch him directly because of his mother's blood, Lily's blood, flowed within him. The blood of Lily's sacrifice to protect her son from Voldemort's inhuman pursue for immortality. Even though he eventually took Harry's blood to recreate a body for his comeback and rendered Lily's protection invalid, Voldemort's lack of understanding for the power of love was one of the causes of his downfall.

He recalled the time the Sorting Hat tried to put him in Slytherin:

> _"You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that…"_

He had been thinking if it was the Horcrux, the piece of Voldemort's soul within him, that made the Hat felt he should be in the House of Snakes… But something that Dumbledore had said to him would nag at his mind:

> _"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."_

Gryffindor's sword had appeared in the Hat when he needed a weapon during his fight against the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. It had appeared again before Neville Longbottom, a fellow Gryffindor who had barely shown many qualities akin to the House of the Lion. According to Dumbledore, only a true Gryffindor could have pulled the sword out of the Hat. He later realized that the sword did not answer to them because of the house they belonged to, but because their determination and courage willed it to appear before them.

Harry had always been curious about the parents he barely knew aside from the photo album that Rubeus Hagrid had gifted him in his first year. He learned about the darker truth behind his father and the Marauders through Severus Snape's memories, but even so, Harry did not resent his father for bullying Snape, nor Snape for selling the prophecy out to Voldemort and caused the death of his parents.

> _"The truth. It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should, therefore, be treated with caution."_

The sight of a Healer exiting the delivery room pulled Harry out of his own thoughts. He was glad that he was finally allowed to see Ginny and their newborn son, and he did so in a few wide strides to the redhead lying on the bed with a baby in her arms. The young one chuckled when Harry bent down to take a good look at him.

"He looks just like you," Ginny began, stroking the baby's head gently with a finger.

"But he has your eyes," Harry commented with a raised eyebrow. _A deja vu._ He couldn't help feeling amused as those words left his lips.

Ginny giggled. "He has his mother's eyes," she said, winking at her husband. "Now where have I heard that before?"

Harry smiled at the tease. "Have you decided on the name for him?" he asked, playing with the baby's small hands with a finger.

Ginny glanced up and stared at Harry in the eye. "I think you should be the one naming our boy. And I know you already have a name in mind. It's all written on your face."

Harry nodded. "James Sirius."

"To honor your father and godfather?" Ginny arched her eyebrows at the name.

"Yes. For the sacrifices they'd made to protect me… Out of their love for me." And he loved them all the same, too.

"I like it," Ginny flashed her husband a grin of approval. "But at the same time I can't help having a bad feeling about it. Aren't your dad and Sirius troublemakers during their Hogwarts days?"

Harry's eyes twinkled behind his round glasses. "Who knows? Regardless if he's going to inherit my dad's and Sirius' legacy, he is our son, and that's all that matters. Besides," he added with a smirk. "Maybe he might get some of the troublemaking streaks from your twin brother George instead."

They shared another light-hearted laughter and the conversation came to an end, with Harry leaving St. Mungo's in a merry mood while Ginny and their baby son had to stay in the hospital a little longer.

To Harry, James Sirius Potter was a gift from heaven. The result of his strong love for his wife, for his friends, his family… and everyone who was precious to him.

The greatest love of all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts:  
> THC | [Y1R10] Short | [Song] "[Greatest Love Of All](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYzlVDlE72w)" - Whitney Houston  
> HPFC | Blood Traitor Challenge | [#10] Weasleys - Ginny, [#12] Potters - Harry


	3. Don't Party When You Ain't Hearty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the parents are out and they leave their children at home to do the decoration work, be prepared for naughty banters, exploding chaos... and unfiltered snarks under the effects from a glass bottle that kids should not be drinking from.

* * *

**ACT ONE**  
**When James Hates Doing Free Labor**

* * *

"I give up."

James Potter plopped himself down into the armchair he had been standing on the whole morning, dropping the decorative strips onto the floor next to him. "This is stupid—can't they celebrate this on their own? Like, take a month's leave from their Ministry desk work and just go on some lame honeymoon somewhere?" He gestured at the banner that read 'HAPPY MARRIAGE ANNIVERSARIES!' in brilliant green paint, a look of annoyance on his face.

"Shut up, James," his cousin, Rose Weasley, shot back as she narrowed her eyes disapprovingly at him. "If you have the energy to complain, why don't you spend it more efficiently by doing real work instead?"

The children were all gathered at number twelve, Grimmauld Place to celebrate the marriage anniversaries of their parents as a collective whole. The older generation decided to simply throw a big party altogether, even though their actual marriage dates were different. Their respective jobs for the Ministry of Magic (in some cases, Gringotts) kept them too busy to take time off their work. It had been slightly more than two decades since Voldemort's dramatic death at Hogwarts, but there was still so much to do. Rebuilding the wizarding world, rounding up the remnants of Death Eaters in hiding or on the run… yada, yada. The list could go on.

James rolled his eyes. Since when were the adults _never_ busy?

"I'm with James on this," Fred Weasley piped up, trying to sit on James' lap until the latter shooed him away. "I mean, what does this have to do with us?"

Rose rolled her eyes and huffed at the sniggering boys, "Very well, I shall educate you pathetic dimwits better: do you think we'll be here fooling around with each other like idiots if it wasn't for our parents' efforts to maintain a happy married life? Happy couples keep their family happy, too. And—"

"Whatever, Rosie," James cut her off, chortling. "Nobody gives a damn about your 'educational preaching'. Go get a life. I heard you've been hooking up with Scor _butt_ Malfoy." Next to him, Fred had doubled up with howling laughter.

" _James Sirius Potter,_ " Rose spat his name with enough venom to make Albus Potter, who was standing on his toes on a stool next to the girl, fall off in surprise. " _Don't make me—_ "

"Stop, stop." Teddy Lupin rushed forward to put himself between the squabbling two, his short hair turning from bubblegum pink to a deep crimson, a sign that he was getting irritated at all the younger kids running amok in the house. "I really can't take my eyes off you lot, not even for one second. Can we just get all this over and done with quickly without any more mishaps?" There were paper rings entwined in a tangled mess around his left arm—possibly the courtesy of the youngest Potter, Lily, who was spotted playing with more paper rings down the hallway, now tying them around Victoire Weasley's ankle.

James didn't want to know what Teddy and those two girls had been up to.

"Sure sucks being you," Fred said as he stood up to excuse himself from the rising tension. "Babysitting isn't my thing, so good luck with that." He strolled off towards his sister, Roxanne, who was wrestling with a skittish cabinet that refused to let her touch it.

Teddy let out a tired sigh and removed the paper rings around his arm with a wave of his wand. "Guys, come on," he said, gesturing wildly at the half-finished decorations hanging limply around the house. "We're getting nowhere at this rate."

"It's something they should do themselves, anyway. It's not our job to do their dumb work." James waved off Teddy's resignation. "What's this, free labor?"

Teddy frowned at James, seemingly unimpressed with the younger boy's complaints that oozed with as much exasperation as the unfiltered sarcasm. Before he could open his mouth, Rose beat him to it.

"Hey," the red-haired girl hissed at James with crossed arms. "Look, I don't care about your petty issues with helping out, but we're not doing this for ourselves. We all want our parents and relatives to be happy. If you're going to be a hindrance here, why don't you go up to your room and shut yourself in with those Japanese picture books instead? You can stay upstairs the whole day for all I care."

James gave his cousin a narrow look. "They are called 'manga'."

"Of course I know what they're called," Rose snorted, rolling her eyes. "And I also know that you've borrowed them from Miyu since last year, with no intention of returning them back to him."

A sudden yelp forced James to pull his glare away from Rose's equally fierce look, and he followed the rest to the source of the voice. Everyone was relieved to find that the shout belonged to a surprised Roxanne, who had managed to tame the jumpy cabinet and unlock the door…

Except that she had a glass bottle in her hands.

James was the first to step forward. Curiosity always got the better of him. "What's that?"

"Don't know," Fred replied, leaning over Roxanne's shoulders. The latter shrugged to echo her brother's response, but only ended up hitting Fred's chin.

"Please don't tell me that's what I think it is," Rose said in a hoarse voice. "Where did you get it?"

Roxanne pointed a thumb at the cabinet behind her. "That thing gave me a hard time when I was trying to clean it, but when it finally calmed down, I found this bottle inside."

"Looks like the expensive Firewhisky that Uncle Bill mentioned a week ago," Albus said, giving Rose a sideways glance. "But why would he keep it in a jinxed cupboard?"

More shrugging. "Maybe he didn't want us to find it," Roxanne said, turning the bottle in her hands. "Ogden's Old Firewhisky, brewed in 1919. Sounds really expensive."

Then, a brilliant idea struck James. Snatching the bottle from Roxanne's hands, he glanced around at his siblings and cousins, his eyes shining with excitement. "Say, want to find out what this thing tastes like?"

* * *

**ACT TWO**  
**When Rose Regrets Everything Else**

* * *

To Rose's chagrin, the majority went with James' mad idea and they opened up the Firewhisky. Soon, everyone was gathered around the dining table, toasting to each other for the dumbest things that the girl could ever imagine. She had also failed to stop Lily and Hugo, her little brother, from joining the insanity. She could only watch in horror as the youngest pair in the house were promptly knocked out by the effects of alcohol, their puffy cheeks turning to a deep shade of red.

"Strong stuff," Fred moaned as he set down his empty shot glass. "But burning perfection." Although his face was still a healthy pink, his eyes seemed rather unfocused.

Rose could only shake her head. _It's all that idiot's fault._ "We shouldn't be drinking this. Most of us are still not of age yet—"

"Rosie, puh-leeze," Teddy slurred, already on his third glass and showing signs of drunkenness. "James is right. You're really a killjoy sometimes." Meanwhile, Victoire already had her arms entwined around Teddy's torso, and if anyone squinted hard enough, they would notice the kiss marks around the young man's neck.

Rose threw a look of disgust at the supposedly most mature member in the group of misfits, then looked down at the untouched glass of Firewhisky before her.

"You know you want that stuff."

She almost jumped out of her chair, surprised at James' cooing voice next to her ear. Her cousin's cheeks were flushed, but at least he looked like he could still walk steadily. How else could he have reached her seat through a high-spirited Albus and Roxanne duo, who were tap-dancing around the table?

"Go away."

Fred rapped his knuckle on the table to call for everyone's attention. "Alright, boy and girls—and lovebirds," he added, rolling his eyes at Teddy and Victoire. "Let's get on with the main event of the day." He then placed the empty wine bottle sideways in the middle of the table, gesturing at everybody to take a seat.

Rose narrowed her eyes at him. "What is this 'main event' you're talking about?"

"I know this," James piped up, pointing at the wine bottle. "It's a Truth or Dare game."

"Very popular at Muggle social parties, according to James' Ravenclaw bestie," Fred explained, arching an eyebrow at Rose's reproachful look. "Trust me, this is going to be fun."

"Oh, yeah?" Rose shot a glare at Fred. No way she was going to believe another word the boys were saying—not after the drunken state they were all in now. Besides, anything that James' troublemaking friends had introduced never ended on a good note in her books. "What kind of 'fun', exactly?"

"It's simple," James said. "Spin the bottle. When the bottle points at a person, ask the person if they want to answer a question truthfully, or if they want to do a dare."

Rose turned to stare at James, unsure if she had heard that correctly. "Just like that?"

"Yeah." James seemed confused by her question. "What were you expecting?"

"It's easier if we do a mock run and you'll understand," Fred said, leaning forward to reach the whiskey bottle. "Ready?"

Everyone around the table (sans the still sleeping Lily and Hugo) held their breath as they watched the spinning bottle slowing down, before coming to a stop…

And pointing at Rose, of all people.

Rose sighed. _So much so for a great start._ "Oh-kay, so what am I supposed to do?"

Fred smirked at her. "Truth, or Dare?"

Rose didn't like the look on her cousin's face. She wasn't going to give him any satisfaction for getting on her nerves. "Truth."

Fred's grin only widened. "So, what do you hate about Aunt Hermione?"

Every pair of eyes in the room were now on Rose, who went rigid in her chair. The red-haired girl inhaled slowly at the intense attention on her. She didn't know what Fred was thinking or trying to do, and she hated being cornered like this.

"Everything," she began, after a long pause to gather her own thoughts. "She's bossy, she's overprotective, and she can't stop nagging over the most insignificant matters. There are other ways to show care and concern for the family. _Better_ ways. Her method doesn't make me feel loved. She only makes me feel suffocated, treating me like a baby." She raised her glass of Firewhisky and finished it in one swig. "I'm already twelve, for Merlin's sake!"

The shouting, mixed with the burning sensation of alcohol that set her throat on fire, made Rose bend forward into a coughing fit. Gross. She couldn't understand why her parents—or any of the adults, for that matter—would like a drink such as this. Her tongue was going numb from the spicy sting. Still, she felt lighter, freer, as if someone had lifted the weight off her shoulders.

She felt so much better.

James was the first to burst out laughing after Rose slammed down her wine glass. "Aren't you talking about yourself?" He banged his fists on the table. "You're exactly like your mother!"

More coughing. "No I'm not!"

"Well, you are certainly nothing like your father," James went on, pointedly ignoring Rose's outcry. "Other than the outward appearance, you're nowhere as cool as Uncle Ron."

"Are you trying to pick a fight with me?"

It took a while for James to stop laughing. "You should take a good look at yourself in the mirror, Rosie," James said, wincing as he rubbed his sides. "No matter how hard you try to deny it, it's too damn obvious to even lie your way out of it. If you're as mature as you've always claimed, just admit it already."

If there was a time that Rose truly felt a sense of defeat, it was this moment when she had to get a lecture from the last person she ever wanted to hear from, in front of so many people. Worse, she had nothing to retaliate back.

"Can I have another drink, please?"

* * *

**ACT THREE**  
**When Hermione Loses Her Cool**  
**(And Ron Has to Save the Day)**

* * *

"I have a really bad feeling about this."

It was the umpteenth time that Hermione Weasley muttered the same line throughout the shopping trip. Her eyebrows furrowed deeper with each passing minute, and she was becoming more and more impatient. Her restlessness was bad enough that even Ginny Potter had to turn around to face her sister-in-law.

"Hermione," she finally said, sighing. "Relax. I'm sure they will be fine. Besides, Teddy is around to take care of them—"

" _He_ is exactly what I'm worried about," Hermione huffed, shaking her head so violently that her bushy hair seemed even larger than usual. "Teddy is a good boy, but he's too nice to handle the likes of Fred and James. I'm so glad that James didn't invite his friends over. They'd only make everything worse by tenfold."

"But you gotta admit that they're fun to have around," George spoke up suddenly from behind the ladies, surprising the two. "Especially the Muggle-born Ravenclaw—I think Tobey is his name—who has taught me a lot about the modern Muggle world. You and Harry won't tell me about all the amazing things that Muggles have invented."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Just when you aren't bad enough with all those horrible joke shop ideas, even my husband had to quit his Ministry job to join in with your insanity."

"Well, you know that Ron's talent shines brightest now that he's the manager of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," George said coolly, not even flinching at the fierce look that Hermione was throwing at him. "He's better at handling money than dealing with dangerous criminals, and I can concentrate on coming up with new products to keep our shop competitive. He's born to be a businessman, not an Auror—and you should know this better than anyone, shouldn't you?"

After a long staring contest, Hermione exhaled slowly and broke the eye contact. She knew a losing battle when she saw one. "You are truly a bad influence on Ron, and the kids, too. I really hate to admit that they are all happier with you around. I can tell from the looks on their faces."

Ginny placed a hand on Hermione's sagging shoulders. "I think you're giving too little credit to yourself," she said. "If George and Ron are there to cheer everyone up with their jokes, then your role is to keep all of them in line, and protect them from harm."

"Yeah, that's something Ron and I can't do as well as you." George patted Hermione's head, but the latter could hear a hint of sadness in his voice.

Hermione swallowed the words that almost tumbled out of her mouth. _He is thinking about his twin._

Ginny seemed to have caught that, too. She cleared her throat to break the silence. "Anyway, since we got pretty much everything we need, I think it's time to head back." She glanced around. "Where's Harry and Ron?"

Speaking of the devil, Hermione heard a sudden crack from around the bend where the trio stood. Two figures tumbled out of the alleyway—and it was none other than Harry and Ron, each carrying a huge wrapped box under their arms.

"I thought I heard someone summoning me," Ron spoke first, a little breathless. "Are we on time? Harry took way too long to get his present sorted out."

"We're just talking about you two, actually," Ginny said, eyeing the boxes. "What have you got there?"

"It's a secret," Harry muttered, glancing down at his pocket watch—the one he had received as a birthday present from Arthur and Molly many years ago. "I think we can go first. Bill said the rest will be late." He shrugged. "You know what Fleur and Angelina are like when they're on a shopping spree. No one can stop them."

"I have no intention of waiting much longer, either," Hermione said, giving a sideways glance at Ginny, who nodded in agreement beside her. "I just want to get back to number twelve as soon as possible."

The group headed back into the alleyway. With a series of faint pops, they were gone, squeezing every part of themselves (and their shopping bags!) through the rift of space and time…

And arriving right amongst the bushes just across the group's destination in a tangled heap of limbs and paper bags.

Hermione wasted no time dashing towards the door that magically appeared in between numbers eleven and thirteen, the shopping bags by her side swinging so wildly that they caused raised eyebrows from a Muggle passerby who was walking her dog. She threw the door open with a flick of her wand, storming through the hallway (even shutting the curtain around Mrs. Black's portrait before the latter could begin her usual screams) towards the only source of light in the almost dark house: the dining area.

She could hear the singing voices coming out from the crack of the door of the dining room, albeit out of sync and the lyrics was enough to make her narrow her eyes. Where did they learn those profanities from? Must be James. She pulled the door open with a flourish, and the sight before her made her gasp in shock.

" _What in Merlin's name is going on here?_ "

Everyone in the dining room stopped whatever they were doing and turned their attention to a furious Hermione.

"Oh, hello." Rose hiccuped and waved at her mother. Her cheeks were as red as her hair. "Welcome back."

"Don't 'hello' me, young lady," Hermione hissed through gritted teeth, seething at every crimson face around the table.

She spotted Lily and Hugo soundly asleep at the furthest corner, cuddled together with a blanket over them. All the boys were top-naked with their Hogwarts ties around their foreheads, while the girls had apparently helped themselves to the jar of homemade cookies that Hermione was trying to save for another day.

The biggest regret of all was the empty Firewhisky bottle spinning in the middle of the table, which was coming to a stop and pointing at James.

Hermione could feel her nails cutting into her palm as her grip tightened around her wand, which she raised up and pointed at James. "You. Explain."

James blinked, apparently still too drunk to register the anger in his aunt's icy tone. The boy merely tilted his head in confusion, shrugging.

Fred looked between the two, and jerked a thumb at his cousin. "It's all his idea, by the way."

James threw a look of disgust at Fred, obviously annoyed that the latter would betray him without a second thought. "Hey, everyone in this room did have their fair share of fun, so don't think you can wriggle yourself out of this and walk away like it didn't happen."

"You're right that everybody here is at fault, and that I am _not_ going to let you all off the hook so easily," Hermione said, her wand still pointing at the boys. "I'm very disappointed in you. I thought you could be mature enough to get the decorations done before we came back and then we could all celebrate the occasion together happily, but look at yourselves now!"

"Yeah, yeah, but this occasion is none of our business," James shot back curtly, not caring that he was being disrespectful towards the last person he should be butting heads with. "Why do we need to waste money, time and effort on all these stupid decos? We can celebrate the same without them—just get the food and we're good to go. The decos will end up in the trash at the end of the day anyway, so why bother?"

To Hermione's utter surprise, even Rose was siding with James. "Now that I think about it, James does have a point," she said slowly. "I've never felt so relaxed, so relieved in my life."

"Rose."

"Oh, I almost forgot," Rose went on, winking at her mother. "I hate you."

Hermione could feel something had snapped into pieces somewhere in her mind. She was at her wit's end. " _Rose, come here—_ " she began, her body inching forward to reach her daughter, but someone had grabbed her wrist to stop her.

It was Ron, who glanced around the room with mild amusement before his expression turned to concern when he faced his wife. "Hermione, don't," he said breathlessly. "You need to calm down."

"How can I calm down at this ridiculous nonsense right before me?" Hermione shouted into Ron's face. It took her a couple of seconds to realize what she had done, and the anger dissipated, replaced by guilt. "I'm sorry, Ronald. I… It wasn't my intention to lose my temper at you. I just…"

"S'okay, I know you didn't mean it."

"Well, well," George piped up behind the flustered couple, whistling at the mess in the dining area. "The party has started without us, eh? That's sly of you."

Hermione wasn't about to let the matter rest just yet. "George, we can't just forgive them like this."

"I never said we have to let them be." George shook his head with a sigh. "Yeah, they are at the wrong for finishing Bill's favorite Firewhisky without us—"

"That's not my point!"

"—but try to look at things from their perspective," George continued, ignoring Hermione's outburst.

"George is right," Ron said, letting go of Hermione when she had calmed down. "They were probably restless and bored from doing something they didn't enjoy. Naturally they caved in to their curiosity, because it's the most obvious way of escapism for them."

Harry and Ginny were equally amused at the chaotic scene when they finally stepped into the dining room. They didn't seem too surprised at the result.

"Let's bring out the food and continue the party," Ginny said, smirking at the hilarious getup James and the other boys were in. "Today is supposed to be a happy occasion for everyone. We can save the lectures for tomorrow."

James' grin turned upside down. "But, Mum—"

"No buts."

Everyone in the room burst into laughter.

Hermione couldn't help but crack a smile; the happiness around her was pushing her irritation to the back of her mind. Even if this wasn't right, alcohol wasn't so bad after all. Maybe this was what they needed.

"Well, I'll leave it to Bill to do the lectures," Hermione said, giving James a smug look. "I wonder how he will react if he finds out that his precious whiskey is gone, thanks to little devils like you?"

Her grin widened further at the guilt written all over the young boy's face. "I'm just pulling your leg," she said with a chuckle, and everybody laughed again.

The party went on with more cheers, clinking glasses, and of course, _booze_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt:  
> THC | [Y2R4] Themed: Happy Family | [Speech] "Well, you are certainly nothing like your father."
> 
> Beta: [whitetiger91](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/5695650) \- thank you!


	4. Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just another family fluff about the Potter household, featuring Harry and James Sirius as the latter tries to come to terms with his jealousy towards his younger siblings.

"James!" Ginny Potter was at her wit's end, yelling for her stubborn son to get out of his room and come down for breakfast. With a frustrated sigh, she turned to her husband. "Harry, can you do something about him? I already have my hands full with the two here." She glanced down at the young Albus Severus Potter and the even younger Lily Luna Potter.

Laying down today's copy of the _Daily Prophet_ on the dining table, Harry Potter finished his hot chocolate in one gulp and stood up, shaking his head at another one of James' difficult tantrums. "Yeah, I'll do that."

As he ascended the stairs, he couldn't help thinking if it was a mistake to send James to a Muggle school. He had hoped it would help Ginny to ease her load in taking care of three children at once; it also helped to separate James from Albus for a bit, for the former seemed to have taken a liking to bully his younger brother with pranks that greatly reminded Harry of the Weasley twins… and his own father, James Senior. He had taken Hermione's advice to give James an earlier school experience at a Muggle institution before going to Hogwarts, but he wasn't sure if that had made the matter worse.

Unlocking James' door with an Alohomora Charm, Harry was greeted by the usual chaotic mess in his eldest son's room. He had to duck down as a book suddenly came flying towards him.

" _Go away!_ " James screamed, throwing balls of parchments at his father. "Leave me alone!" Tears were flowing down the young boy's cheeks, his brown eyes glowering fiercely at Harry. The latter was taken aback at the furious look—one that Harry would hate to see if he had accidentally stepped on one of Ginny's many landmines on her bad day. The resemblance was uncanny.

"James," Harry tried to calm his son down, clearing up the maelstrom of papers with a wave of his wand. "Did something happen—"

James cut him off with a sarcastic laugh. "Why do you care?" he snapped. "Nobody cares about me—Al and Lily are all you need. You throw me into a Muggle school so that you can spend more time with them, yeah?"

"James, listen to me—"

" _I have enough! I'm out of here!_ " With a roar of finality, James threw his red lion alarm clock at his father before storming out of the room. In the moment of distraction as Harry caught the clock with a hand, he couldn't stop his son from stalking out the front door.

"James!" Ginny was equally shocked at how the situation had escalated as she rushed out of the kitchen to see what the din was about. "What is he thinking, leaving the house like this?"

Exhaling slowly, Harry raised a hand to stop Ginny from going after James. "I'll take care of this," he muttered, then glancing down at the frightened younger children hiding behind the mother. "You stay here to keep an eye on them."

* * *

It wasn't hard to find James. The young boy didn't run away very far; he merely went to a deserted playground nearby, sitting on a swing alone. Harry approached slowly, careful not to alert the son of his presence. He only called out to James in a soft voice when he was in the other swing next to the boy. "I'm sorry that I didn't notice this earlier."

James still refused to look at his father. "…Isn't it too late to apologize?"

"It's never too late to apologize," Harry replied in the same gentle tone. "It's my fault for not understanding how you feel." He paused, looking up at the clear sky. He had felt jealousy towards his cousin Dudley from time to time when he lived with the Dursleys in his childhood days; even if they were his distant relatives, Harry always felt an unbreakable wall between his magical background and the normal, Muggle life that the Dursleys had been adamant about upholding. They were fearful of the gossiping neighbors if anyone found out about Harry's 'mumbo jumbos', as his uncle, Vernon, had put it.

Of course, Harry knew that it wasn't the same as the blood bonds between James. "I… don't have siblings like you, and I was never close with my cousin. I won't pretend that I can understand how you feel, but there are times I do feel like the world is unfair." He let out a short laugh. "I do get jealous of others, too."

James said nothing; though, he sneaked a glance at his father before looking away again.

As the awkward silence between the two dragged on, Harry cleared his throat to break the tension. "But what I really want to say is that I love you as much as I love Albus and Lily. You're my child as much as they are."

James didn't seem convinced. "…Really?"

"Really."

"Words mean nothing." James narrowed his eyes at his father, unwilling to give in so easily. "How will you prove that to me?"

Harry stared at his glaring son for a moment, then he smiled. "How about we just stay here and continue to talk like this for a while?"

That made James raised his eyebrows at his father. "What about Mum?"

"Oh? Do you want to go back home now?"

"No." The annoyed look on James' face finally cracked into his usual mischievous grin. "How about we run away from home a little longer—and further?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts:  
> HPFC | Jealousy Challenge (Theme)  
> HPFC | Blood Traitor Challenge | [Potter-Weasley Family] Harry Potter/James Sirius Potter (platonic); Ginny Potter (nee Weasley), Albus Severus Potter, Lily Luna Potter
> 
> Inspiration:  
> "Apologize" - OneRepublic feat. Timbaland

**Author's Note:**

> Oneshots by Tsubasa Kurono.  
>  _Harry Potter_ series © J. K. Rowling.
> 
> Inspirations:  
> "[The Houses Competition](https://www.fanfiction.net/forum/The-Houses-Competition/202668)" by MoonlightForgotten;  
> "[Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges](https://www.fanfiction.net/forum/Harry-Potter-Fanfiction-Challenges/44309)" by various forum members.
> 
> (Originally posted on [FanFiction.Net](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12804852))


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